2024 Homebrew Highlights

It's been a while since I've written a highlight of the year blog post. Over the past few years, my brewing has bean a bit on and off due to moving house and some disruptions, but I'm glad to say that I was back and brewing again in 2024.

Favourite Batch

The first batch I brewed this year was also my favourite one, and it felt so good to be brewing again after a long hiatus. My favourite batch was my Elderflower Saison.

I've brewed this recipe before, but there is something really cool about using local ingredients (as much as possible). For this batch, I picked Elderflowers with my daughter and used them in this batch. There is also a local beekeeper here in Devon that produces some amazing honey, and I used that in this beer too. Apart from the yeast, almost everything I used in this beer was produced here in England!

If you are interested in brewing this yourself, please follow this link for my Elderflower Saison recipe.

Least Favourite Batch

I'm super pleased with how most of my brews turned out in 2024, but if there is one that stands out in my mind, it it a Red Ale that I brewed most recently.

I was heavy-handed on the bittering hops and the chocolate / roasted notes just didn't work together with the hoppiness of the beer. The best thing about this hobby is that it's all a learning curve, and we can do better next time!

Most Fun New Style/Recipe to Try

In 2024, I finally got to brew cider with proper cider apples. A local friend of mine has two apple trees in his garden that have really good apples for making cider.

It was a long morning of picking, crushing, and pressing the apples, but in the end, we were rewarded with 60 liters of juice. The kids even got involved!

I'm happy to say that it turned out really well. We had to back-sweeten the cider as it was a bit dry, but once that was done, it was tasting perfect!

Best Technique Added to Repertoire

Cold Crashing! I know this is quite a basic technique, but I've never had the ability to properly cold crash due to equipment constraints. This year I invested in a Grainfather Conical fermenter and a Glycol chiller. It was an expensive purchase, but definitely worth the money.

The Grainfather Conical also has a very useful port that allows you to collect yeast and remove hops after dry hop.

Best Ingredients Added to Repertoire

I have been enjoying using a small amount of Chit Malt in almost all of my brews this past year. Its known to enhance foam stability, improve mouthfeel and can be used in many different styles of beers.

Favourite Book(s)

My favourite book this year would definitely have to have been Modern Lager by Jack Hendler & Joe Conolly.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found that it provided practical insights and detailed discussions on fermentation, decoction mashing, and carbonation, making it a valuable resource for home brewers.

If you are interested in this book, check out this link for more details.

While it doesn't necessarily fall into the book category, I have also been listening to the Craft Beer & Brewing podcasts which are very interesting. It involves pro brewers and dives into different topics on every episode. I have found it invaluable as a learning resource!

Lessons Learnt

• Water chemistry - The water at my new house is a lot softer than I was used to in London. This has meant that its a little easier to brew with, but sometimes too many salts can affect the final taste negatively.
• Canning - In 2024, I invested in a canning machine. I have loved it so far, there is something quite special about opening a can of your own beer. I have also been experimenting with can conditioning.

Overall Stats

This year I managed to brew 13 times. While its definitely not the most I've brewed compared to previous years, I would say that the quality of what I have produced has been higher. I'll cheers to that!

Cheers to brewing in 2025 🍻